Worker hits W2.16b jackpot after buying pension lottery with leftover cash

An office worker who had only ever bought lotto tickets struck luck when a pension lottery purchased with leftover change yielded simultaneous first- and second-prize wins.

Dong Haeng Lottery revealed Friday the story of a winner, identified only as A, who hit both first and second prizes in the 340th showing of Pension Lottery 720+ at a lottery retailer in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.

A had long been a lotto regular but grew curious about pension lottery tickets after watching a colleague buy them.

After purchasing lotto tickets as usual, A used the remaining money to buy one set of pension lottery tickets — only the second time A had ever bought them.

The moment of discovery was dramatic. While chatting with the colleague about pension lottery, the two decided to check together whether they had won. But when A opened a wallet, only one of the five purchased tickets was inside.

The colleague used a phone to check the winning numbers and found that ticket was a second-prize winner. Wondering where the other four tickets were, the two began searching together.

A then recalled that the wallet had grown too thick, so the remaining four tickets had been stored separately in a vehicle. After retrieving them from the car, A confirmed that one ticket had won first prize and four had won second prize.

A said the reaction was surprisingly calm. "My bigger feeling was bewilderment — 'Why has such great luck come to me?'" A said. "I had been going through a difficult time lately amid the economic downturn, and this win has been a great comfort and a source of hope to push forward again."

As for plans for the winnings, A said the money would go toward paying off loans.

Pension Lottery 720+ pays first-prize winners 7 million won ($5,250) a month for 20 years, and second-prize winners 1 million won a month for 10 years. With one first-prize ticket and four second-prize tickets, A's total winnings before tax come to 2.16 billion won.